Using Chili Peppers in Thai Cooking

The chili pepper is one of the most, if not the most, popular type of pepper used in Thai cooking. There is a large variety of chili peppers used in Thai cooking and each variety is used for a different reason or in a particular dish. The most popular of these peppers is the “prig kee nu” (Thai Chili Pepper) which is the shortest of the chili peppers (about 1″ in length) and comes in red and green colors. It is considered to be one of the hottest chili peppers used in Thai cooking.

When it comes to using the “prig kee nu” chili pepper in Thai cooking you will often find it in soups, stews, sauces and in Thai condiments. It is a great chili pepper to use in a variety of meat dishes, in Thai vegetable dishes and it’s a wonderful chili pepper to use in seafood dishes.

The “prig kee nu” can be used from freshly picked peppers, easily found in most grocery store produce departments or you can purchase dried. Some cooks will use frozen “prig kee nu” peppers too. This is a great pepper for those of you who enjoy “heat” in your dishes and they should be handled carefully so that the oils contained in the pepper don’t irritate your skin.

So next time you want to stir fry up some Asian noodles, grab a few of the Thai Chili Pepper’s and spice up your dish